It was an unusually busy offseason for general manager Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers. The team addressed needs on both sides of the football. But the main concerns for the defending NFC North champions have been defensively. Hence the free-agent signings of defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois and cornerback Davon House – the latter making his return to the club after a stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. And that’s a big reason that Thompson and the organization used their first four selections in the 2017 NFL Draft to address a unit that finished 22nd in the league in total yards allowed per game and next-to-last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per contest.
Most recently, the Packers were busy getting their final five draft choices signed. They inked wide receivers DeAngelo Yancey and Malachi Dupre, running backs Aaron Jones and Devante Mays and center Kofi Amichia to four-year deals. As noted, all are players chosen to aid the offense. But now the organization has gotten their first choice in the ’17 draft to sign on the dotted line.
The latest to sign
Via the fine folks at Spotrac, the Green Bay Packers now have their top selection in the 2017 NFL Draft under wraps for a spell. University of Washington cornerback Kevin King, the first overall pick in the second round, signed a four-year, $7,080 million contract. His base salary for his rookie campaign is $465,000.
For now, he’s slated to make $1,430 million in the final year of the deal in 2020. You will recall that the Packers traded out of the first round via a deal with the Cleveland Browns. It gave Thompson the 33rd overall selection and they grabbed King. It also marked the sixth consecutive year that the Pack used their first choice in a draft on a defensive player.
The list includes outside linebacker Nick Perry (2012), defensive end Datone Jones (2013), safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (2014), cornerback Damarious Randall (2015) and defensive tackle Kenny Clark (2016) – all first-round picks.
What will King bring to the team?
In 2016, the Green Bay Packers made it all the way to the NFC title game.
But thanks to a slew of injuries in the secondary, especially at the cornerback, you saw this club allow 32 touchdown passes during the regular season and eight more during their three-game postseason run. Hence the addition of King. “This young man is today's NFL corner,” stated NFL Network’s Mike Mayock. “His tape was really fun to watch…I’m not sure his combine speed and his football speed are the real thing. But the single-high teams, the teams that play a lot of high free safety, are gonna love him. His ability to press and his ability to find the football are even better…His best football is ahead of him.” And that adds up to great news for head coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers.
